Elemental Nations: The MMORPG
by RukaRukia
Summary: An AU world where everyone is just a regular person. Uchiha Game Enterprise has just stocked the game stores with 200 sets of their newly released to the public game, Elemental Nations, a virtual reality game bringing players back to the age of ninjas. Naruto, a highschooler, and his friends have purchased the game and are eager to play. Only pairing decided so far is ItaNaru.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Author's Note: This is just a prologue. Note this is my first fanfiction.

**Update 3/20: Elongated Chapter 1. **

Chapter 1

The rain pitter-pattered on the concrete sidewalk, dotted by old gum and dried spit stains. A line of people were pressed up against the wall of the large corner store trying to stay dry from cars driving by on the road. They stood, leaning against the wall tiredly, obviously tired. Suddenly, the doors to the store opened wide, and the mad rush of the people charged in. They all ran for the virtual games lane, trying to grab a hold of a VB-Helmet and a copy of Elemental Nations. Cries of victory echoed in the store as people hustled through the crowd, eager to pay for their games.

15 year old Namikaze Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he stepped out of the store's wide swinging doors. He had managed to purchase a set from the second batch. It was a shame, he thought, that he wasn't chosen for the first batch, the beta, but nevertheless, he was satisfied. He would be one of the first 300 players to log onto Elemental Nations since beta is over. He ran home, shopping bag carefully held in his arms.

"Dad, don't bother me! I'm going to be playing my new game. Call me down for dinner!" he yelled to his father as he stepped into his rather large house, slipping his shoes off. His father poked his head out of his office and nodded, blond spikes flopping everywhere. Naruto ran up the stairs, heart beating faster in excitement.

He plopped down on his bed grabbing the game out of the bag reverently. The cover of the game was shiny plastic and a map of the Elemental Nations was printed on it and on the back was the logo of the Uchiha Game Enterprise. He rubbed the game to his cheek fondly and said, "Sasuke must be so lucky, his brother probably grabbed a set for him. He wouldn't have had to wait outside the local game store for an entire day, awaiting the opening of the store."

Naruto unwrapped the helmet and stroked the round edges. He brought it up to eye level and examined it. There was a flashdrive slot and a charger slot. Naruto popped the case open and picked up the tiny flashdrive. His mouth opened in astonishment. This little flashdrive contains the most eagerly awaited game of the decade. His lower lip trembled as his fingers inched towards the flashdrive. He rapidly snatched it up and jammed it into the helmet. He could see the helmet's lights whirl to life as the game installed.

"Ugh! It has to install?! I want to hurry up and play already!" he whined. He decided this was an opportune time to call his friends to see if they had gotten their own sets. He leaped off his bed and landed smoothly on his feet, taking long strides to his desk where his laptop was awaiting. He sat upon his wheelie chair and gave it a few spins as the computer whirled to life. He logged on, fingers a blur. Soon, Skype loaded and Naruto realized that he was the last one to come online. His friends were already in call without him. He jumped a little on his seat in eagerness and clicked Join Call with Video.

"NARUTO! YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screamed at him upon seeing his face pop up in the video chat. Naruto immediately slapped his hands to his ears trying to escape Sakura's angry and loud tirade.

"More importantly, Naruto, did you get one?" sighed Shikamaru, loosely grasping his own helmet. Naruto smirked in response and held his own up. His facial expression was soon mimicked by everyone else in the call, even Sasuke who held up his specially imprinted with the Uchiha fan helmet.

Naruto snarled in response to that.

"You bastard! Itachi-san probably got you that!" Sasuke's smirk darkened and he didn't deny it.

Sakura waved her helmet in front of her webcam.

"Let's start already. Don't forget to pick Konoha everyone!" In complete unison, the friends all put their helmets on and leaned back in their respective chairs. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Neji, Kiba, Shino, Tenten, and Lee all let a small smile show past the bottom of the helmet as they slipped into the world of Elemental Nations.

Naruto gasped_. _This was amazing, he thought. Lights swirled around him as he floated in black. "Is this what it feels like to be in space?" he whispered.

Suddenly, the black flashed into a brightly lit hospital room. He could see doctors and nurses running back and forth from a pretty lady lying on the bed, her legs splayed wide open and bright crimson hair sweaty and messy. One of the doctors gave a yelp of triumph as he swung his arms toward the ceiling. Cradled within his arms,was a crying, wailing baby. Naruto felt nostalgic. Was this what his mother had grown through, he couldn't help but think.

"Welcome to the Elemental Nations Player!" a female's voice spoke kindly. Naruto whirled around from where he floating in the air to face the voice. The speaker was beautiful light green-haired young woman. She wore an elaborate kimono and her right sleeve raised up to cover her lower face as she giggled at Naruto's gaping mouth.

"My name is Chizu. I am the NPC in charge of helping out new players create their characters. Be patient with me as there are a lot of choices to be made about making a character," she said. Naruto nodded in understanding. He had played a lot of games and knew that a single mistake can put you at a serious disadvantage against other players.

"I'm glad you understand. I look forward to working with you. First, please input your player name." Naruto typed "Naruto" into the keyboard that had suddenly appeared at the end of Chizu's sentence. A slightly whooshing sound was heard, and Naruto jumped at the sound. He saw "Naruto" float above his head in black font.

"THIS IS SO COOL!" Naruto screamed in delight. This was really happening, he thought excitedly.

"Calm down," Chizu giggled into her sleeve again, "Would you like your appearance to be the same in game?"

"Sure," shrugged Naruto, appearance didn't matter much to him.

"There are five main villages: Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure. There are also several smaller villages that you may choose to join. The option to create a village is only open to returning beta players. Village choice is an important factor to character build. It will affect the type of skills and jutsu you will be able to learn and use. It is possible to transfer to another village with permission from your respective Kage. Choose wisely."

"Konoha without a doubt!" declared Naruto certainly. He wasn't going to take the chance of not meeting up with his friends after all.

"Alright, if you're so sure. I normally give more time to players to think over the choices, but I guess I won't need to for you. Moving onto classes!" she smiled fondly, "There are 6 ninja classes : blade master, blunt master, ranged master, jutsu master, medic-nin, martial-artist, and all-rounder. There are also many additional branch skills that you may choose to learn such as genjutsu and fuuinjutsu."

Naruto's head spun with the sudden onslaught of information. He slowly processed what Chizu said and decided, "Jutsu master!"

"Alright. Character build has been completed. Do you have any final questions before you enter the game?"

Naruto shook his head. He gripped his hands, the palms sweaty from excitement. A door opened up in the wall and emitted a bright white light. He stepped towards the open door, steps slow and wobbly.

"Several last reminders! You may branch off into other skills. The more you train, the stronger you may get. Elemental chakra will be randomly generated and don't forget the goal of the game!" Chizu's voice echoed within Naruto's mind as he stepped through the door, to the universe of Elemental Nations.

Chizu- A thousand storks. I thought it fit because of the idea of storks delivering babies.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This fanfic is a third person limited. Naruto's thoughts and feeling will be presented.

Chapter 2

"Naruto! Over here!" Sakura's voice crying out was the first thing he heard. Her bright pink hair and waving hands were the second. He noticed that the whole gang was already there standing by her.

"I'm the last one, again?" he asked with a regretful tone. A laugh ripped through the group at Naruto's forlorn appearance.

"So how do we play this game?" Naruto looked around. Other players mingled around Konoha's gate. Naruto stared in amazement at the gate. It was huge, completely dwarfing the players. A thick wood wall surrounded the city. He looked at his friends. Sakura wore a red qipao top with black gloves, black boots, black shorts, short pink apron skirt, and pink elbow protectors and forehead protector on a red cloth. Her forehead protector was tied around her head, her short pink hair reaching past her chin.

Sasuke wore a grey high-collared short-sleeved shirt with a zipper extending from top to bottom. He wore blue wrist warmers, dark blue pants, with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees. His dark blue forehead protector was tied over his forehead.

Ino wore a short purple vest like blouse with a raised collar, a skirt with slits on each side, and bandages on her legs up to her mid-thigh. She wore purple and white elbow warmers and her forehead protector around her waist.

Chouji wore a red suit with plated armour on his torso, arms, and upper legs. A large kanji for food was imprinted onto his chest armour. His brown hair was much longer in-game, reaching to his waist.

Shikamaru wore a chunin vest, along with a black long sleeved shirt paired with matching pants and sadals, and green lined mesh armour on his wrists and ankles. His headband was tired around his left arm. He wore black pants, the ends tapered with bandages.

"Hey Shika! How come you're a chunin?" Naruto yelled outraged.

Shikamaru sighed and pointed at Naruto. Naruto looked down to where Shikamaru was pointing. He wore an exact replica of what Shika wore, the standard Konoha chunin uniform except, as he felt his face, his headband was wrapped around his forehead. Naruto grinned.

Hinata wore a loose fitting, long-sleved, lavender and cream zip-up jacket with lavender cuffs over mesh armour, navy blue capris, and her forehead protector was tied around her neck.

Kiba had on a black leather jacket with zippers over the chest and sleeves, along with black pants and sandals. His forehead protector was tied across his forehead and it seemed Akamaru managed to follow Kiba into the game. The big white and brown puppy sat on its haunches, panting happily, beside Kiba.

Shino looked the simplest. All he had on was a light green jacket hanging down to his knees with a hood that hid his face. He had on a satchel on his back and wore black pants.

Neji wore a black forehead protector that he wore snugly over his forehead. He wore a khaki shirt, under which he wore a dull blue shirt with a mesh armour underneath it, an unzipped chunin vest on top of it all, dark brown shorts, blue shinobi sandals. He also had bandages wrapped around his right arm, chest, and right leg.

Tenten wore a pink sleeveless qipao top and dark green pants. Her forehead protector was tied around her forehead, her hair in buns on both sides of her head.

Lee donned a white traditional Chinese outfit and his hair was still in a long braid. His caterpillar-like eyebrows decorated his face. His forehead protector was worn as a belt.

The group of twelve good friends soon realized that they were standing in the middle of the road into Konoha. The road was wide enough to fit ten carriages side by side and it was surrounded on both sides by dense forest. They shifted over to the side and continued their perusal of their appearances and beginning inventory and skills. It was a bright midday and the sun's heat warmed them to their bones.

"Strange...it all feels so lifelike. I can hear my surrounding, I can see it, I can feel it, and I can taste the fresh forest air," Neji murmured.

"Of course," snorted Sasuke, "Nii-sama was on the production team after all."

The group stared at Sasuke, inwardly sighing at his absolute worship and adoration of his brother.

Naruto asked, "Why are we waiting here? Shouldn't we be going on inside?"

Sakura jumped at Naruto and pounded her fist into his skull. A cry of "YOU IDIOT" resounded throughout the forest. "We're supposed to wait here until the beta-player, jounin-sensei, assigned to us, arrives. They'll give us an introduction to the game, equip us, and start training us."

At that very moment, a quiet whoosh was heard. Four adults stood in front of them, all with varying facial expressions. There was a tall silver haired man, his forehead protector slanted covering an eye, who wore the standard jounin outfit. There was a gruff bearded man, smoking a cigarette, who also wore the standard jounin outfit. A stunning black wavy haired woman with bright red eyes stared at them, clothed in a dress of bandages. And finally, the most eccentric of the adults, was a man who wore a tight green spandex outfit, with orange elbow and leg warmers, his forehead protector acting as a belt. The teens cringed at the man. There was really too much of his body on display.

"Nice to meetcha kiddos! I'm Asuma. Mr. Old Man here is Kakashi. The beauty is Kurenai and the Green Beast is Gai. We're the jounin who've been assigned to you. It'll be our jobs to get you all used to this game and to be able to survive. You can expect these couple days to be training," drawled Asuma, letting out a puff of smoke at the end of every sentence. He flicked the cigarette butt and embers fell to the ground before getting picked up by the wind.

The twelve teens all introduced each other and an awkward silence ensued.

Kurenai coughed, breaking the silence, and she gestured to the gate as she spoke, "Follow us. We'll be going to the equipment shop. I'll explain more about the game as we go." The group exchanged shell-shocked and befuddled glances with each other before shrugging and following her.

"Elemental Nations is an MMORPG. Before today's release, there were a hundred chosen players who tested this game for a month. When we logged on, we found that our data remained the same and that a system of mentor-ship had been implemented, which is what you see here. Until you can survive on your own, you'll be in a party with your jounin-sensei. It's recommended to always remain in a party, as its safer that way. We've been instructed to be in a party with our team for at least twenty hours of game play. Teams are required for dungeons and most missions. Mission and dungeons are ranked by levels. There are D-rank, the lowest, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank, the highest. You can expect to be doing D-ranks for now, possibly C-ranks. Chunins, such as Neji, Naruto, and Shikamaru, can do C-ranks, and possibly B-ranks. B-ranks and A-ranks are given out to jounin. S-ranks are extremely rare and will be given out to teams that have convinced a GM to join them. GM's are game masters. They are all Uchiha Game Enterprise employers who will be acting out various roles in the game to move it along. Dungeons are the same as they are in any other game. Defeat the mobs, defeat the boss, and pick up items. The bosses have a special breaking point that can only be achieved by their respective weakness. For example, if a boss had a fire BP, then you would use fire jutsu on him, until BP has been achieved. This is desired because he may drop rare items. Try not to die. If you die, your character will be deleted and if you want to play, you'll have to start all over again. There are special jutsu that are capable of reviving players but those usually come with a risk. Choose your weapons, abilities, and skills carefully," after saying this, Kurenai paused in front of a friendly looking shop. She motioned to the group and they entered.

Tenten gasped. The shop's walls were covered in weapons. Blades hung from the ceiling, dangling above their heads. The shop itself was brightly lit, and the sharp polished blades reflected the light. Asuma walked up to the counter top and ran the bell that sat upon it. A man, dressed in a dirty apron, came out, wiping his hands on the apron. He stepped up to the counter top and smiled.

"Are these new players?" He went on without waiting for a reply, "I'm Yamamoto, resident blacksmith. If you need a weapon, then I've got it. I'm a NPC on a side note." He grinned, showing his shiny white teeth. He bowed his head, a crown of black hair cropped short, and patted his biceps. "This here has made many fine beauties and I'm overjoyed to see newbies come in and purchasing them. What are you looking for?"

Naruto's eyes wandered incessantly. He had chosen jutsu-master, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be able to get a weapon. A certain glint caught his eye. He stopped paying attention to what the man, Yamamato, was saying and walked to it in a trance. The whispers in the group as they were deciding what to get quieted down as they all turned their attention to Naruto. He strode rather hesitantly to the left wall, where two trident like swords hung. He grabbed them and instantly felt a connection and it wasn't something only felt by him. A bright light erupted from him, bubbles emitting from his body, and he shook. Just as abruptly, the light disappeared, and Naruto was left, absolutely confused.

"Wha..What was that?!" he shrieked, "My body got all tingly and I feel stronger and quicker now."

"Maa..maa. Calm down, Naruto. It appears that you've got quite the luck. Not only have you spawned as a chunin, but you've got dual classes. I wonder if any of else will get dual classes," Kakashi said. Naruto tilted his head. _I'm so confused. _

"Wow kid, what class didja pick when you started? You can add blade master onto that since you've unlocked it after touching those sais!" Yamamato yelled excitedly, "You'll realize that Elemental Nations is an incredibly in-depth game. You can even have sexual intercourse in-game." Yamamato nodded sagely, stroking his chin while looking at the group of sixteen players. He formed a hang seal and whispered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, there were twelve Yamamato's in the shop. It was starting to feel rather clustered and tight. Each Yamamato walked to a teen and started chatting with them. For Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji, he simply sold them a kunai and shuriken pouch. For Lee, he sold him a bunch of weights and a kunai and shuriken pouch. Sakura bought a set of thick brown gloves and a kunai and shuriken pouch. Sasuke purchased a chokuto and a kunai and shuriken pouch. Tenten was at a loss. She had chosen to be a blade master but there were so much to choose from. In the end, she realized that she only had enough money to buy a katana, a spear, and a kunai and shuriken pouch. Naruto bought the two weapons that he held in his hand and a kunai and shuriken pouch.

"These weapons, once purchased or picked up from a drop, become linked to you. You may gift them to someone else, but otherwise, no one other than you will be able to use it as long as your character is alive. Unfortunately, I cannot make chakra conductible weapons and the only ones I have are ones that were sold to me by players who picked them up from dungeons. Normally, I sell these only to high ranking ninja or people who have the money, but I like you Naruto! There's something bright and cheery about you not to mention that you've already linked with the two sai. I'll give you a 75% discount!" Yamamato's cherry voice ran out. Naruto gripped the sai he held within his hand. I don't understand. It just feels so right to be holding these.

Voices were heard from outside the shop. The door creaked and a figure stood within the doorway. Behind the man were three genin. Yamamato leered and waved the sixteen people standing within his shop gone.

"Shoo shoo! I've got more customers to entertain. Good luck, Naruto, with those sai. I expect good news!"

The three teams walked out, exchanging glances at the entering team. Once out into the sun, they let their minds wander thinking about the adventures they were going to have, unconsciously tightening their forehead protectors that symbolized them as Konoha shinobi or gripping their newly acquired weapons.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This chapter was pretty fun to write and I'm apologize if it appears to be rushed and not very detailed.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Naruto and never will.

Chapter 3

Naruto gripped his pouch full of dangerously sharp glinting weapons. _This is serious. I am actually playing this game. _He squatted down and started tying his pouch to his right thigh, mimicking the jounin. As he rose, he noticed that he wasn't the only one. All around him, his friends and strangers alike were doing the same.

"Kakashi-sensei, what do we do with these weapons? Is there anywhere I can put my sais?" Naruto asked. He twirled the sais in the air, showing an impressive display of skills.

Kakashi looked down at Naruto with his sole revealed eye and wrapped an arm around Naruto. "Come little kiddos. It's time for us to split and start our individual team training." The group of teens stopped mingling together and stood next to their sensei. Kakashi started walking, his arm still around Naruto's shoulders, yanking him along. Sasuke and Sakura followed reluctantly. _Is this guy trying to choke me? _Naruto narrowed his eyes as he stumbled along Kakashi.

"Food isn't really necessary in this game as long as you do not exceed six hours of straight game play. I doubt that students like you will have enough free time to do that but to be on the safe side, we're going to a food market to pick up some sustainable food like bread," lectured Kakashi, followed by the three teens, looking very much like a mother duck with her ducklings. Sakura payed rapt attention to Kakashi, taking in as much information about the game as possible. They paused in front of a small stall. Delicious aromas floated through the air. Naruto's gaze flickered around, taking in as much of the game's scenery as possible. They were standing in a market, surrounded by stalls and stores. NPC merchants wandered around, trying to sell their merchandise to players loitering around the market. On the left of the small bakery stall was an equally small fruit stall and on the opposite side was a snack stall.

"How much ryo do you all have left?" inquired Kakashi.

Naruto dejectedly replied, "1,300 ryo."

"That's it?! I have 4,450 ryo," Sakura exclaimed.

"3,000," grunted out Sasuke.

"Hm...you spent quite a lot on weapons. At least in this game, you don't have anything you really need to spend money on other than upgraded weapons, clothes, rent and furniture, and other optional luxuries. A sandwich is 150 ryo I suggest you each purchase at least one." After shopping, they soon felt the loss of weight in their wallets. _I only have 1000 ryo left. This game is cruel._

They followed Kakashi past the stall and he continued talking.

"Before I start talking about the technicalities of the game, I'll start on the user interface. I'm sure you've already figured out how to maneuver your way around it already, but I'll just go over some of the more obscure stuff. Adding friends, inviting to parties, challenging to duels, and messaging a person can all be done by pointing and dragging the area in front of that person. A bar should appear with all of the above choices. You can just tap one and the action should be done. If it is someone in your friends list or team, then you can just tap at their name in the respective lists. Just as a side note, there are no language filters in this game. You can curse however much you want."

Sasuke murmured, "That's because that stupid silver haired old man in nii-sama's team wouldn't shut up about how much his life would suck if he couldn't curse."

Naruto looked at Sasuke thoughtfully. _Silver haired old man?_ He sneaked a discrete glance at Kakashi, before deciding that Sasuke would have just said Kakashi instead of that particular wording. _Nii-sama's team would mean that he would be one of Itachi's co-workers and the only one I know that has silver hair and has a sailor mouth is HIDAN! _

"You have probably noticed by now, but I doubt any of you aside from Sasuke would know the details. When you first spawned, you held a scroll in your hand. This scroll," Kakashi reached into his kunai pouch and pulled out a scroll. He unfurled it and the team saw the complicated black lines that swept across the scroll. "This is a storage seal. There are many different varieties of it, each able to hold a certain amount of items. It acts as your inventory. It is impossible for you to lose this, if you happen to misplace it somehow, you will find that it will return to wherever you normally store it. Each shinobi rank has a specific number of storage seals that they can have on them to store personal items. There will be missions pertaining to the delivery or protection of storage seals which will not count. Genin can only have one, chunin two, and jounin three. You currently have the most basic of basic storage seals, capable of holding up to eighteen items. You can purchase higher levels of storage seals, or buy scrolls, inks, and brushes to make your own, or you can pick them up from mobs or bosses. The one I have in my hand can hold up to twenty four. To seal away items, simply put the item on top of an empty seal and let out small burst of chakra. To unseal it, swipe your hand over the desired seal and let out a small burst of chakra," Kakashi paused and took a deep breath. He seemed to gather his thoughts up and spoke again.

"Chakra is the moulding of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. The more you train, the more chakra you'll be able to have. Once moulded, it can be channelled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 tenketsu in the body. You can use various handseals to manipulate the chakra. By moulding different ratios of the two energies, new types of chakra can be formed. Most ninja have a natural affinity to one type of chakra, but they have the capacity to create elemental chakra apart from their own affinity. There are five basic types, each stronger and weaker to another, but their relations, weaknesses, and strengths to each other are all explored. There is also the dealing of Yin and Yang and the balance of mental and physical energies. In addition to these five elements, certain kekkei genkai can mix elemental chakra to form new natures, for example it is possible to mix water and wind into ice. While many ninja can use more than one type of chakra, very few are able to use them simultaneously. Practising a technique repeatedly will build-up experience, building up one's spiritual energy, and thus allowing more chakra to be created. As a result, the ninja is able to do that same technique with more power. This same cycle applies for physical energy, except this time, instead of doing things like meditation, the ninja could, say, do push-ups. Get it so far?" questioned Kakashi.

Sakura raised a hand tentatively and asked, "So people can have differently sized chakra coils and pools?"

"Yes and that is a good transition into my next lecture. Chakra control. Chakra control refers to the control of one's chakra and aptitude at controlling it. A ninja could create too much or too little chakra for a given technique, resulting in the chakra being used inefficiently. In addition, even if a ninja is able to mould the correct amount of chakra, if they cannot manipulate the chakra properly, the desired technique will not be as effective or will not execute at all. Wasting energy will also create weaknesses like early exhaustion, which would hinder the ninja's capacity to fight long-term battles. General training methods for improving one's moulding and manipulation of chakra are the Tree Climbing and Water Walking exercises. I'll be teaching you the first and possibly the latter two. I can tell you right now that Naruto has the largest chakra pools but horrendous control. Sakura, on the other hand, has pathetic pools but great control. You're a medic-nin, right Sakura?"

Sakura nodded while Sasuke brooded petulantly at being outclassed by his teammates.

"Sasuke is the average shinobi. He has a decent chakra pool for a starting player and decent control. The five main elemental types are also the names for the Five Great Shinobi Nations: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water. Each ninja has the potential to better utilize one of these styles and potentially more. There are chakra conductible weapons that you can acquire. You can channel elemental chakra through them for more abilities," ended Kakashi. _My head is spinning._

"HEY! What's my element?" Naruto exclaimed, a huge grin plastered onto his face. Kakashi patted his mane of golden locks.

"You haven't even unlocked your chakra yet. Sit down," Kakashi commanded. They had arrived in front of a sign "Training Ground 7". Kakashi led them inside the training ground before ceasing. He pointed to the clearing in front of him. Naruto plopped down carelessly. Sakura looked down at the ground distastefully before carefully sweeping the area in front of her and then sitting down. Sasuke chose to sit with his back against a nearby tree.

"Close your eyes," Kakashi paused, "Relax your muscles. Delve into your mind. Do you feel the warmth?"

Naruto had his eyes tightly shut, before slowly loosening them. He concentrated on the black surrounding him, the feeling of the warm sun on his face, the soft breeze ruffling his hair and clothes. He felt it. _Is this the warmth?_ It was deep inside him, a raging fire asking to be unleashed. Naruto reached for it, a hand hesitatingly trying to grasp the warmth. He wrapped his hand around the fire and gripped it tightly, bringing it close to his chest. _What is this? _

Kakashi wasn't expecting anything anytime soon. _It may take up to several hours unlocking chakra. If they manage to do it before dinnertime, then I'll be surprised. Maybe I'll let them see their first combat scene. _He soon bit his tongue as he felt the familiar pressure start to form in the clearing. _Who was it coming from?_ It was calm, comforting and relaxing. It was warm and bright, though there was an undertone of something evil and malicious. His lone eye flashed, examining his team. _It was Naruto. _The grass around him rustled violently and the wind formed a cocoon surrounding him.

"Naruto, stop! That's enough," cried out Kakashi. Sasuke and Sakura snapped their eyes opening, their bodies instantly stiffening in response to Kakashi's frantic voice. They could feel the warm chakra enveloping them, the source they recognized was Naruto and suddenly it died out. Naruto had his eyes opening, the cerulean blue they were so familiar with, stared at them dazedly.

"It was so comfortable..." Naruto murmured. _So this is the power... _He held out his hand in front of him and flexed it.

Kakashi's mouth was slightly wider than usual, not that the teens could see it, his mask was ever so helpful. _This boy..._

"It seems that the game must really like you. Can you summon your chakra at will?" questioned Kakashi. Naruto grimaced, his eyebrows furrowing, and reached for the warmth within him again. Almost instantly, the pressure returned. "Good. You see this tree behind Sasuke? This is a beautiful specimen of a programmed tree used for training. You assignment is to climb up this tree without using your hands," commanded Kakashi. He stood, wiping his hands on his pants. He lifted up a leg and placed his foot on the tree trunk. He placed his other foot in front of it and took several steps until he reached a branch, before walking underneath the branch. He hung upside down, eye staring blankly at them, judging their expressions of astonishment.

"This is the tree-walking exercise. You have to channel the precise amount of chakra through your feet in order to stick to the surface of this tree. Use too little and you'll slip right off, use too much and you'll launch right off the tree," Kakashi's eye curved into a crescent as he spoke cheerfully. Naruto was flabbergasted. _THIS GAME IS SO COOL!_

He eagerly ran up to the tree and placed a foot down before finding himself vaulting through the air. He tumbled to the ground in a mess of limbs and clothes before straightening himself up and staring at the tree trunk. A large scar was inscribed onto the tree. It was shoe shaped. Naruto flushed as Sasuke let out a "Dobe". Sasuke and Sakura soon settled themselves down and began meditating again. Kakashi continued to hang upside down, observing their progress as Naruto tried again and again.

They continued training like this for a while before Sasuke let out a grunt.

"I've unlocked my chakra. Do I do the same training as Naruto now?" he asked as he stood up, stretching his legs out a bit. Kakashi nodded, lifting his head out from his book. It was a small orange book which Naruto recognized as a part of the Icha Icha series. _Stuff like that exists in this game?! _

Kakashi flipped a page before looking back down at his book. Several pages later, he realized that he hasn't heard any more thumping coming from Naruto's tree. He looked up from the book and saw that Naruto was running up and down the tree with ease.

Kakashi felt his lips curl up. Two out of three had unlocked their chakra, one had already mastered the tree-walking exercise, and it had only been three hours since they started the game. These three kids will definitely be strong. Without a warning, Sakura let out a triumphant cry as she too felt her chakra for the first time. The three males looked at her and barely sensed any chakra emanating from her. She let out a groan as she realized exactly how small her pools were.

"Good job, kids. When are you going to log off?" requested Kakashi.

Naruto acted as the representative, "About 10 minutes. We're going to have dinner at my house."

"Oh? The three of you?"

"No. Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai's teams are attending too," chirped Sakura, "Naruto's dad is the best."

"Well, ten minutes is long enough for me to explain some more things about the game. One of the reasons why this game is so fair, is that the majority of it is randomly generated. Elemental chakra, the ability to have multiple classes, and bloodline limits. Bloodline limits are special skills that a player may get when they create their character. There are dozens of bloodlines and it is possible to have more than one. That blue-haired girl, Hinata was it? She was lucky enough to receive the Byakugan. The Byakugan is one of the Three Great Dojutsu, the others being the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. It has a 360 degree field of vision and can see through solid objects and barriers. It can also see the chakra flow inside the body as well as the color of the chakra. Because it can see chakra, it is infallible to genjutsu. The Sharingan can see the flow of chakra, an grants the user an incredible clarity of perception. The Sharingan can evolve, gaining more tomoe as it does so. The ability of perception can extend to being able to track fast-moving objects. It can also copy almost any technique witnessed aside from other bloodline limit techniques. They can memorize ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu, but they may not be have the necessary ability to perform them. The Rinnegan is reputed as the most exalted eyes amongst the Three Great Dojutsu. It can see chakra and the user has the potential to master all five basic elemental chakras. One of the mythical techniques is the Six Paths Technique, which grants the user multiple abilities, known as Paths. A Rinnegan user has yet to announce himself so players, like us, aren't exactly sure what it's the different Paths can do. There's supposedly a seventh Path, but we're baffled about its abilities too.

Other kekkei genkai include mixing one type of elemental chakra with another, creating a new one unique to the users, which is usually impossible for normal ninja. Examples are Futton, Shoton, Hyoton, and Yoton," narrated Kakashi. He stared at them with a "happy-go-lucky" curved eye. "About time we log off and enjoy our dinner, wouldn't you all say? Hm...you guys live in Tokyo right? So...how is 4 pm for our next training session? I still need to teach you little puppies how to use your fangs and claws!" Kakashi waved and poofed out of existence. A system message appeared in front of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, "Party leader Kakashi has logged off. New party leader is Naruto. Would you like to change the party name?"

"Meh...see you guys later?" Naruto grinned, looking at Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke let out a grunt while Sakura nodded enthusiastically.

"I can't wait to eat some of Namikaze-san's food. It's so good!" Sakura screeched out in excitement, rapidly logging off. _Wow...she's fast. _

Naruto gave Sasuke one last look before longing off himself. He felt air rushing around him and darkness envelope him, before he smelt the familiar smell of his room. He opened his eyes. _Strange ...when did I close them? _He raised his hands and grasped the helmet, before pulling it off with a soft pop. Fresh air rushed his nostrils and he took several deep breaths. Naruto looked down at his hands and clenched them. _This feels so different. _

He put the helmet down on top of his desk and stood up, stretching his legs. He sniffed the air. _Dad's making something good! I can smell it from my room. _Naruto walked to his bedroom door with long strides, hand grabbing onto the doorknob, twisting and pulling, before stepping foot into the brightly lit hallway. Walking past closed doors, he approached the stairs. He hesitated at the top of the stairs, looking down the numerous steps. _Should I? Or should I not? _

_Aw...who cares? _Naruto let out a loud whoops and with an uncharacteristic carefree and foolish grin, he leaped onto the banister and pushed off.

"Wooohooo!" Naruto screamed as he slid down at break necking speed, only to see his dad standing at the foot of the staircase, tapping his foot, arms crossed in front of his chest, a disapproving glare directed at him. Naruto flushed as he reached the end of the banister and jumped off, landing cleanly on his feet.

"Sorry dad...but I just couldn't resist."

"I just don't want you to be hurt. You could break a bone if something goes wrong when you're sliding down."

Naruto appraised his father, eyes glinting. Namikaze Minato wore a blue turtleneck sweater and dark blue slacks. On top of his clothes, he had one a white apron with a ladle hanging out of his pocket. His bright blond hair, which Naruto inherited, was long and shaggy, but it was undoubtedly much neater than Naruto's crow nest.

The doorbell rang, echoing throughout the house. Naruto grinned, waving his hands in the air.

"Someone has already arrived!" he sprinted the short distance to the door and yanked it open and thrust his head out the door. His head hit something solid and he looked up, only to gulp.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Itachi stood there surrounded by an air of awe inspiring frostiness. The man was model worthy. His pale complexion was smooth and flawless; skin that models photoshop. His eyelashes were thick and black and his eyes were a deep obsidian with with a red glint. His hair was black to me, drawn back into a simple ponytail that hung at the base of his neck, a few strands of hair framing his face that were too short to be pulled back and too long to be proper bangs. He wore a perfectly pressed black suit, a red dress shirt peeking out at the collar, and a dark blue tie branded with the Uchiha clan symbol, an uchiwa. He looked impeccable and equally untouchable.

Behind him, stood a male of equal looks. Sasuke's skin tone was paler than his older brother and his hair was much shorter. It spiked up in a style reminscent of a duck butt, much to his chagrin, but for some reason, the ladies adored it. Sasuke, unlike his brother, donned a less formal outfit. He wore black jeans and a dark blue high collared shirt. His hands were tucked in his jean pockets and he slouched with a glare at Naruto's behavior.

"Stop ogling nii-sama, Naruto, and let us in."

Naruto's cheeks were ablaze with mortification, "I'm so sorry, Itachi-san! I didn't mean to crash into you and shut up teme!"

A flicker of a smirk touched the Itachi's lips before it was gone again. However, his eyes were a little lighter with amusement and Naruto felt his heart skip a beat at those eyes meeting his.

"It is fine, Naruto-kun," Itachi replied smoothly, his voice softly caressing Naruto. Naruto flushed. _Why does Itachi have such an effect on me? _"I am just here to drop off Sasuke. Call me when you need me to pick you up. I'll be accompanying Kisame and the rest of Akatsuki as we terrorize Takigakure," he murmured in voice that sent shivers down Naruto's spine in a delectable way despite the horrors that it spoke of.

Naruto stood there frozen in shock, Itachi's voice echoing in his mind, whispering sweet nothings to him, as the real man walked towards his sleek black Maserati. As Itachi swung a leg inside his car and slid into the smooth, and might he say, durable leather seat, Naruto had a vision. He whimpered as he thought what it would be like to be pushed against the hood of the car and fucked roughly by Itachi. He shuddered and shook his head rapidly, clearing all dirty thoughts from his mind.

As Itachi's car drove away, another car approached. A bright pink car that stood out amongst starkly against the black road. Sasuke grimanced beside Naruto when he noticed who was coming out. Sakura waved and bounced up to the front door, Ino right behind her.

"Sasuke-kun! Your here so early!" crooned Sakura as she non-discreetly rubbed flat chest against Sasuke's arm. Ino, not to be outdone, leapt forward and grabbed Sasuke's other arm, pressing it against her ample chest. Naruto laughed uproariously as he took in the teme's pale sweating face, obviously not enjoying the leeches attached to him. Sasuke shook them off violently with a loud grunt.

"Don't touch me," he snarled, turning sharply on his heels and heading inside. He let his nose and years worth of experience of staying over Naruto's house lead him to the kitchen, where the glorious food awaited. Sakura and Ino were not to be discouraged and trailed after him, arguing all the way. Loud cries of "He's mine, Ino-pig!" and "Never, Forehead!" echoed throughout the house. Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes. Whenever his friends came over, it really made the empty house feel alive and he loved them for it.

A dark blue minivan drove up, turned in his driveway and a brown-haired woman stepped out of the driver's seat. She yanked upon the the doors of the her car and reached in. She drew back, two boys grasped tightly in each arm, Kiba and Shino. Naruto nodded knowingly, they were neighbors, it only made sense to carpool together. Kiba's mother stalked up the path to the front door, her face set in a growl, her tattoos only enhancing the feral effect. She deposited them on the front door step and cried out loud, "Begone you brats! I'll be back to pick you up at 10!" She ruffled their hair fondly before taking a step back and with one last glance, walked back to her car.

Naruto wrapped an arm around Kiba, "Woah...you're mom is as wild as always..."

"Don't remind me, Naruto. Just because I forgot to feed the dogs, she goes out on a rampage," Kiba muttered.

Shino brought a hand up to his sunglasses and pushed them back a bit. He spoke in a low and calm voice, "It is only logical for her to do so. Feeding them today were your responsibility."

Kiba grunted in reply as he continued to mutter empty threats about his mother. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely missed the arrival of the Hyuuga cousins, Lee, and Tenten. It was only Lee's loud exclamation of "NARUTO-KUN! YOU ARE AS FULL OF YOUTH AS ALWAYS!" that caught their attention.

Naruto tried his best to play the role of a good host. "Come in guys. Dad should be almost done with the cooking."

"A pleasure as always to be invited to the Namikaze home," Neji gave a slight bow, polite as ever.

"Is everyone else here already?" Hinata asked in her soft quiet voice as she looked down at her feet and poked her index fingers together nervously. Naruto leaned in close to her and grinned.

"Nope! We're still waiting for Cloud-boy and Chouji," exclaimed Narto exuberantly, "Come in. Who knows when Chouji will manage to get Shika here." Naruto led them in where everyone else had already gathered by the kitchen table, nearly salivating at the numerous dishes already set on the table. Minato stood near the stove, wiping his hands on his apron, and he paused in his conversation with Sakura to nod his acknowledgment at the new group's arrival.

"I'm about done here, Naruto. Just need to set these two dishes out on the table and I'll be out of here," Minato said as he balanced two plates full of drool-worthy food precariously, "I was just telling Sakura that an old student of mine will be staying over."

"Why?" asked Naruto. _An old student? Is it from the-_

"I taught him back when I had my stint as a university professor at Kage University. He was one of my favorite students. The kid was an absolute genius but a bit cracked up in the head. Always going on and on about rules, but he loosened up after the accident," Minato ended with a mournful tone.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway behind them and Naruto twirled around excitedly. He cried out, "Shika! You're here!" and indeed it was Shika and Chouji. Shikamaru was slouching as he stared at Naruto's face passively.

"Get out of my face, Naruto," he groaned as he slumped into a chair. He laid his head down on an empty space on the table and just rested there. His eyes slowly slid shut and he slipped into a light sleep. Minato put down the last two plates and instructed Sakura, "Everything is where it always is. Drinks are in the fridge. Don't burn down the house. I'll be in my office if you need me." He walked away after taking off his apron and hanging it up on the hook by the oven. Sakura nodded, listening to everything Minato said with a careful ear even though she heard it a million times. When she turned back to bark out orders, it was to a view of hungry teenagers gorging upon plates and plates of food. Sakura paled as she saw the once neat and orderly array of dishes get torn up as Naruto and Kiba fought. She sobbed quietly before seeing Ino beckon to her.

Ino whispered to her conspiratorially as she pointed to the plates in front of her, "Minato's new diet dishes. He told me that supposedly have less than half the carbs than usual." Sakura's eyes gleamed as she reached for a spoonful of mashed potatoes, "I guess we can let them go wild for once."


End file.
